World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War

Browse related Subjects

It began with rumours from China about another pandemic. Then the cases started to multiply and what had looked like the stirrings of a criminal underclass, even the beginnings of a revolution, soon revealed itself to be much, much worse. Faced with a future of mindless, man-eating horror, humanity was forced to accept the logic of world ...Read MoreIt began with rumours from China about another pandemic. Then the cases started to multiply and what had looked like the stirrings of a criminal underclass, even the beginnings of a revolution, soon revealed itself to be much, much worse. Faced with a future of mindless, man-eating horror, humanity was forced to accept the logic of world government and face events that tested our sanity and our sense of reality.Read Less

Very good. Appearance of only slight previous use. Cover and binding show a little wear. All pages are undamaged with potentially only a few, small markings. Help save a tree. Buy all your used books from Thriftbooks. Read. Recycle and Reuse.

Very good. Appearance of only slight previous use. Cover and binding show a little wear. All pages are undamaged with potentially only a few, small markings. Help save a tree. Buy all your used books from Thriftbooks. Read. Recycle and Reuse.

Very good. Ex-Library Book-will contain Library Markings. Book has appearance of light use with no easily noticeable wear. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Green Earth Books is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More.

very good

I am very happy with my purchase. The movie version raped the book, as normal.

Keelohb7

Oct 18, 2010

Not Enough

I enjoyed this book, but was ultimately disappointed. The characters in the book speak of events, but they are described as though we have really survived this war and thus does not go into detail. I would have liked this book much more if they would have described the events instead of having a simple conversation as though the events of the book were real and not fiction.

jfanning

Apr 23, 2009

hardly wait for movie

little slow starting but it was very descriptive and I really enjoyed it.

girlxfawkes

Oct 28, 2007

Quality Zombie Literature?

I like survival stories. There are two post-apocalyptic, society-is-utterly-changed-by-sudden-catastrophe books that moved me and stayed with me over time. One is Stephen King?s novel, The Stand (and for goodness? sake, read the book; don?t see the mediocre movie!). The other was Whitley Strieber and James Kunetka?s War Day. Both amazing stories came from sources I?d not expected. Third time?s a charm, I guess.

World War Z surprised me. The writing grabbed me, and not the cheesy way a ghoulish hand from under the bed grabs the stupid heroine in a horror movie. I found the structure of the novel intriguing: Brooks shares the story of World War Z by ?interviewing? the survivors ten years after ?the Crisis? has passed. The interviewees are people who were, at the time, doctors, children, government officials, military grunts, cyberpunks, pilots, gardeners at fancy international resorts. They are Americans, Chinese, Russian, Mexican, Korean, British, French, Australian. While this style of storytelling is not completely original, it is compelling. I stopped chortling about reading about zombies (of all things! not serious literature, of course!), and started hearing what Max Brooks understands about humanity ? as a whole, and as individuals.I thought he had some profound insights about resilience and depravity, about the bald cruelty of survival tactics and the ridiculous amount of luxury we think of as necessity. Most of all, as someone who has fought my own version of life-or-death demons, I really agreed with what Brooks says about hope. Pick the book up yourself, and see if you don?t find it hard to put down. Max Brooks may be a bit odd ? he is the son of Mel Brooks, the director of many tongue-in-cheek films ? but the writing here hits many issues right on the head. That?s the only way to kill the undead, or the critics, if you can tell them apart.

BruceHH

May 3, 2007

Pandemic war

This is an interesting work of fiction but in fiction one can find reality. The novel starts with a disease outbreak in China and an attempt to cover it up. It turns into a pandemic. Does SARS ring a bell, and let?s not forget some of the flu strains. People attempt to flee and pay to be smuggled into Western Europe and US through Eastern Europe and Mexico. There might not be many Chinese sneaking across our borders but there are several other nationalities doing so.The book also has China purchasing American debt. A lot of our national debt is owned by foreign countries and China is increasing its share.Part of the spread of the epidemics spread was through the criminal purchase of body parts (organs, eggs and sperm, blood). There is a lack of testing because greed is a great driver.There is a lack of preparation though an early action plan written, it?s ignored. The U.S. administration takes the easy part of plan but does not follow through with rest of plan. Intelligence services do not really know what is occurring until it?s too late. Mistaken planning exists and things are purchased not because of need but because they look pretty. Soldiers are neither trained nor equipped for the job they?re asked to performMilitary programs are contracted out. Criminals rise to control of countries.Any current situations come to mind?It is a quick, interesting and enjoyable read. I recommend it for those who are expected to deal with pandemics and other emergency situations.

Publishers Weekly, 2006-10-02In the wake of the great zombie war, Brooks's fictional alter ego travels around the world to ask tough questions of individuals and leaders about their experience and actions before, during and after the undead menace decimated the human population. Brooks remarkably identifies and articulates the nuances and unconsidered realities of what a zombie war would look like. This intriguing "oral history" stands apart from his previous zombie-related book, The Zombie Survival Guide, as Brooks uses the postwar culture here to provide political and social commentary on a wide range of real-life individuals and institutions. An all-star cast including Alan Alda, Mark Hamill, J?rgen Prochnow, Henry Rollins, John Turturro, Rob and Carl Reiner, and many others deliver their parts with such fervor and intensity that listeners cannot help but empathize with these characters. Max Brooks acts as the interviewer, providing an inquisitive but stagnant demeanor. The abridgment keeps the story tight but struggles with the interviewer's narration during interviews. When Brooks interrupts characters to indicate that the person rolled his eyes or appeared apprehensive, his comments are often moot because the performers are already portraying such body language with their tone. Simultaneous release with the Crown hardcover (Reviews, Aug. 7). (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Publishers Weekly, 2006-08-07Brooks, the author of the determinedly straight-faced parody The Zombie Survival Guide (2003), returns in all seriousness to the zombie theme for his second outing, a future history in the style of Theodore Judson's Fitzpatrick's War. Brooks tells the story of the world's desperate battle against the zombie threat with a series of first-person accounts "as told to the author" by various characters around the world. A Chinese doctor encounters one of the earliest zombie cases at a time when the Chinese government is ruthlessly suppressing any information about the outbreak that will soon spread across the globe. The tale then follows the outbreak via testimony of smugglers, intelligence officials, military personnel and many others who struggle to defeat the zombie menace. Despite its implausible premise and choppy delivery, the novel is surprisingly hard to put down. The subtle, and not so subtle, jabs at various contemporary politicians and policies are an added bonus. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited, Baker & Taylor, Inc., or by their respective licensors, or by the publishers, or by their respective licensors. For personal use only. All rights reserved. All rights in images of books or other publications are reserved by the original copyright holders.